Old Lady on the Stairs

I finished the Kauni wrap mentioned in my last post. It's blocked, folded and put away for the Autumn. The colours are deep and saturated, perfect for Autumn, so it can wait 'til then.



The Kauni yarn knit up nicely, though it's 100% wool, so I'll have to be careful not to wash it in the machine. Did I ever mention I made that mistake twice this past Autumn. It's true, first with the Tangled Yoke Cardigan, finished back in early 2008, and then later the same season with the Big Needle Wrap I made while in Dublin. Ack! That's right, I managed to throw each one into the washing machine on separate occasions. I plan on salvaging the buttons from the cardi, but all that knitting is lost.

I often got compliments when I wore the wrap, so I thought I'd be clever and take advantage of a sale on at Wolseley Wardrobe and I picked up another hank of the Silk Blend by Manos del Uruguay in the same lovely purple colourway. I didn't realise at the time, however, that the hank of Silk Blend I bought in Dublin was packaged for the European market in 100 grams hanks, unlike the North American Silk Blend, which is packaged in 50 grams hank. I guess it's back to the shop while the sale is still on.

Crochet class is finished now. Last week we made granny squares.



I was completely thrilled with how mine turned out - I know, I thrill easily.

During the week (that means at home and all by myself) I made a cotton dishcloth from double crochet.



It's not perfect, and I chose the most awful shade of mud-grey, but it's functional, and COMPLETED!!!!

This week we made a three dimensional heart.



It's not quite done yet. I need to embroider on a face and stuff it with fiberfill, but the pattern utilises increasing, decreasing and working in the round.

I've struggled and struggled for years to figure out crochet, and now I finally have the rudiments sussed. Hooray!



Work continues on the Union Jack Slipover I started last Autumn. I had promised myself I wouldn't start any other knitting projects until I'd finished this one. It's worked in intarsia, and all the bobbins clacking away while I knit has been driving me a little cuckoo.



So I snapped yesterday and started a small project. A little Loch Ness Monster. They're small, right?



On the upside, my cold has gone, Ian's teeth are healing nicely and Elly has been told she should be off her crutches in a week (the knee isn't broken after all), on the downside (literally), I managed a nasty slip on the stairs myself and have a badly swollen ankle. Happily, I can still knit. And crochet.

I've been wondering if Elly taught herself any fancy maneuvers on the crutches like these:

Girl on the Stairs

Locals will recognise this as yesterday's cruelness. March came in like a lion and left the same way. I'll not speak of it anymore.

On the needles, I've been making a quick and easy scarf using Kauni Effektgarn in colourway EQ. I used this pattern as a general guide, though I had to knit a lot more rows as this yarn is finer than the ones in the pattern.



This colourway works up into a rainbow repeat of colours - yellow / orange / red / purple / blue / green, and then back to yellow. I've finished all the knitting and am working a slip-stitch crochet edge (yes, I'm putting my crochet knowledge to use!). It's a nice bright, cheerful project - just what I need at the moment. I'll show it again when it's all done.

I've been continuing my battle with this cold, it's taken hold and doesn't seem to want to leave. My throat is terrible, and I can scarcely speak in the mornings.

Worse off, however is Ian. He's been spending his first week of spring break recuperating. He went in for surgery yesterday to remove two extra teeth. When he had his braces put on earlier this year, the orthodontist noticed a shadowy looking ghost of a tooth on the x-ray and after a CT scan it was found that there were two, which is a bit unusual (the Orthodontist calls him "the chosen one"). We made a trip to the dental surgeon yesterday (Dr. Blight - hee, hee), and now they're all gone.

Worse off still, is Elly. She went out Saturday night to celebrate her 22ND birthday, got a little tipsy and fell down a flight of stairs, cracking her kneecap. Now she's in a brace and on crutches. She's still planning to visit Liverpool this week-end and Paris the next. I suppose she should be happy she's not here and trying to scale snowbanks and ice ruts.

Here's one for you Elly (be patient, this one takes a while to load):